ISIS beheads another American

ISIS terrorists beheaded American aid worker Peter Kassig over the weekend, releasing a gruesome video of his body on Sunday.

Militants seized Kassig, a 26-year-old former Army Ranger, last year while he was delivering aid supplies to Syrian refugees. During his time in the Army, Kassig did one tour in Iraq before being medically discharged. He returned to the Middle East in 2012 to found relief agency Special Emergency Response and Assistance. He reportedly converted to Islam in captivity and took the first name Abdul-Rahman.

President Barack Obama said Kassig “was taken from us in an act of pure evil by a terrorist group that the world rightly associates with inhumanity.” As he has in the past, Obama tried to separate ISIS, also known as Islamic State, from the religion its fighters proclaim. ISIS “revels in the slaughter of innocents, including Muslims, and is bent only on sowing death and destruction.”

Kassig’s executioner appears to be the same British national who previously killed four other ISIS hostages, two American and two Britons. The killings started as an attempt to stop U.S. airstrikes against militant targets in Iraq and Syria.

“We say to you, Obama: You claim to have withdrawn from Iraq four years ago,” the militant said. “Here you are: You have not withdrawn. Rather, you hid some of your forces behind your proxies.”

Peter Kassig’s letter to his parents

The family of Peter Kassig has publicly shared a letter he sent to his parents earlier this year while he was in captivity:

“It is still really hard to believe all of this is really happening … as I am sure you know by now, things have been getting pretty intense. We have been held together, us foreigners … and now about half the people have gone home. … I hope that this all has a happy ending but it may very well be coming down to the wire here, and if in fact that is the case then I figured it was time to say a few things that need saying before I have to go.

“The first thing I want to say is thank you. Both to you and mom for everything you have both done for me as parents; for everything you have taught me, shown me, and experienced with me. I cannot imagine the strength and commitment it has taken to raise a son like me but your love and patience are things I am so deeply grateful for.

“Secondly, I want you to know about things here and what I’ve been through straight from me so you don’t have to wonder, guess, or imagine (often this is worse than the reality). All in all I am alright. Physically I am pretty underweight but I’m not starved, & I have no physical injuries, I’m a tough kid and still young so that helps.

“Mentally I am pretty sure this is the hardest thing a man can go through, the stress and fear are incredible but I am coping as best I can. I am not alone. I have friends, we laugh, we play chess, we play trivia to stay sharp, and we share stories and dreams of home and loved ones. I can be hard to deal with, you know me. My mind is quick and my patience thinner than most. But all in all I am holding my own. I cried a lot in the first few months but a little less now. I worry a lot about you and mom and my friends.

“They tell us you have abandoned us and/or don’t care but of course we know you are doing everything you can and more. Don’t worry Dad, if I do go down, I won’t go thinking anything but what I know to be true. That you and mom love me more than the moon & the stars.

“I am obviously pretty scared to die but the hardest part is not knowing, wondering, hoping, and wondering if I should even hope at all. I am very sad that all this has happened and for what all of you back home are going through. If I do die, I figure that at least you and I can seek refuge and comfort in knowing that I went out as a result of trying to alleviate suffering and helping those in need.

“In terms of my faith, I pray everyday and I am not angry about my situation in that sense. I am in a dogmatically complicated situation here, but I am at peace with my belief.

“I wish this paper would go on forever and never run out and I could just keep talking to you. Just know I’m with you. Every stream, every lake, every field and river. In the woods and in the hills, in all the places you showed me. I love you.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.